Leave it to Mac to release a metallic liquid lipstick that is actually wearable. Well some of the shades are. The new Mac Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour Metallic Collection has 15 shades. The formula is the same liquid lipstick formula that the Retro Matte Liquids have, just in a metallic finish.
I’m a fan of both the formula and the applicator of the Mac Retro Matte Liquids. With the formula being a liquid suede (not too runny but also not too thick) and the pointy applicator, these liquid lipsticks are very easy to work with.
The way I apply them is, I first use the pointed tip to line my lips with it, and then apply color to the rest of the lip. Same goes for the bottom and top lip and I never press my lips together until the liquid dries down just to prevent transferring.
As soon as these dry down, they don’t budge. For a liquid lipstick, they are comfortable to wear and they don’t suck the whole moisture from your lips. They are still a liquid lipstick so if you have dry lips I would recommend a good lip balm before application.
As for the shade selection in the Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour Metallic Collection, I think there is a shade for every taste. Naturally I gravitate towards the neutral shades and those are actually the ones who are not as metallic as the rest.
The shades that come in the Mac Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour Metallic Collection are:
Coral Plated (orange metallic)
Foiled (rose bronze metallic)
Metrochrome (gold bronze metallic)
Quartzette (beige metallic)
Pearl Punk (dusty pink metallic)
Softly Rockin (soft pinky beige metallic)
Gemz&Roses (bronze rose metallic)
Metallic Rose (rose gold metallic)
Buzzed Out (fuchsia pink metallic)
In Retrograde (yellow red metallic)
Love Weapon (deep blue red)
Crowned (blackened purple metallic)
Atomized (violet metallic)
Moon Landing (blue metallic)
Silver Spoon (gunmetal metallic)
Swatches L to R: Coral Plated, Foiled, Metrochrome, Quartzette, Pearl Punk, Softly Rockin, Gemz&Roses, Metallic Rose, Buzzed Out, In Retorgrade, Love Weapon, Crowned, Atomized, Moon Landing, Silver Spoon
The formula of most of them applies evenly with no streaks. I only found the shades Softly Rockin and Atomized a little patchy so I had to go in with a second layer to make them look even.
Love Weapon also has a more watery formula but applied on the lips, it looks awesome. As for favorite shades, I really like Quartzette, Pearl Punk, Gemz&Roses and In Retrograde. The lip swatches as you will see below appear more metallic on photos than in real life. Especially with the nude and more neutral shades, they are more of a soft metallic almost satin finish which I find more wearable than your regular metallic lipstick.
Coral Plated
Foiled
Metrochrome
Quartzette
Pearl Punk
Softly Rockin
Gemz&Roses
Metallic Rose
Buzzed Out
In Retrograde
Love Weapon
Crowned
Atomized
Moon Landing
Silver Spoon
As you can see by the swatches, not all are super metallic which makes them quite wearable for someone who doesn’t like metallic lipsticks. I have to admit, I am not a fan of metallics on me but some of the Retro Matte Liquid Metallic I can totally wear. The neutral shades and even some of the more dark vampy shades are great for everyday wear.
If you are a fan of liquid lipsticks and you are looking for something different, definitely check these out. The formula is long lasting and wears really well and I think the shades are also quite unique.
*PR Sample